MENIFEE: Trustee says to be patient with unification

Peters criticizes former colleague for pushing process to quickly

Menifee school Trustee Rita Peters criticized former board
member Fred Twyman on Tuesday, saying the process to unify the
district should not be rushed.

"It annoys me strongly that an ex-board member continues to have
the public believe his process will expedite unification," Peters
said during the portion of the meeting where trustees make
comments. "The public needs to be aware that one person who has a
passion for unification cannot unify the district
single-handedly."

Peters comments came in response to comments Twyman made at a
March 23 meeting regarding the Menifee Union School District's
efforts to unify.

Twyman, a former Menifee Union trustee and now a Menifee City
Councilman, is a longtime proponent of making Menifee a unified
district.

Menifee, which educates children in kindergarten through eighth
grade, would like to become a K-12 district by adding Paloma Valley
High School, which is currently part of the Perris Union High
School District.

"It won't ever come if people keep looking for obstacles and not
resolutions," Twyman, who did not attend Tuesday's meeting, said in
a phone interview after the meeting.

He said the first unification study was completed in 1990, and
it seems the criteria keeps changing.

"I'm frustrated with the fact that we get over one hurdle and
they find another," he said. "I'm not the only guy (for it),
everybody supports unification in all of Menifee."

Unification was put on hold two years ago because Menifee Union
did not meet all of the state criteria for completing the process
and because of the sour economy.

Peters said that administrators are working diligently toward
unification, but the process takes time.

She said it must be assured that all students will get an equal
education before the move is made.

Menifee meets six of the nine criteria for unification. Two of
the three that have not been met have to do with racial balance and
educational opportunities.

According to a report presented to the two school boards last
month, if unification goes through, the white, non-Hispanic
population of the Perris district would decrease by approximately
10 percent.

For the racial balance condition to be met, the white student
population of each district, plus the other three feeder districts
to Perris Union, must increase to more than 27.5 percent or
decrease to less than 10 percent.

Menifee administrators were directed to use enrollment numbers
that come out from the state in November to study the issue.

"Our goal is to keep the process moving and to monitor that
criterion," Superintendent Linda Callaway said. "We're committed to
monitor that very closely."

Trustees on Tuesday also approved a calendar for the 2011-12
school year that calls for 175 days of instruction and a three-week
winter break.

It also includes five nonpaid, furlough days for employees.

The school year will begin Aug. 15 and conclude June 1. Winter
break will be from Dec. 16 to Jan. 6.

Students also will be off from Feb. 20 to 24 for Presidents Day
and April 2 to 6 for spring break.

"I'm really saddened that this (calendar) has five furlough days
on it," Menifee Teachers Association President Jody Sanchez told
trustees. "It's five instructional days these students will never
get back."

The union and school district are still negotiating a contract
for 2011-12, and Callaway said because of those talks, she couldn't
comment on whether the furlough days, scheduled for June 4 to 8,
could become student days.

"If there's any way to give back days, we'd do that," board
President Jerry Bowman said.